Curing the body, curing the society : the miracle stories of Gregory of Tours in the service of ascetical socio-moral reform in sixth-century Gaul
Author
Tezcan, Selim
Advisor
Latimer, Paul
Date
2004Publisher
Bilkent University
Language
English
Type
ThesisItem Usage Stats
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Abstract
The saints in Gregory of Tours’s miracle stories frequently transfer such
values as peacefulness, charity and mercy from theory into public action by their
miracles. This exemplary function of the miracles in the Histories has lately been
acknowledged in the literature. However the stories in the miracle books, especially
the healing miracles, have been neglected in this respect. The main question of the
thesis is whether the entire corpus of the miracle stories can be fitted into the
perspective of the socio-moral reform found in the sermons of Caesarius of Arles, in
the canons of Merovingian Church councils, and in the works of Gregory of Tours
himself.
The ideal society envisioned by Gregory of Tours and Caesarius of Arles, like
the monastic community on which it was expected to model itself, was one that
embraced ideal values such as charity, humility and obedience. Considering that the
envisioned reform was of an ascetical character, the authors’ ideal values and
proposed methods for realizing them are investigated and brought into relation with
the miracle stories within the framework of the ascetical stance and practice as found
in Late Antique Gaul.
It is observed also in the miracle books that saints take an active part in the
realization of the ideal values by exemplifying them and by punishing the
transgressors. Moreover, they help the bishops in transferring these values into public
action and in persuading their flock to preoccupy themselves with their future
salvation instead of the present world. Another important result is that the healing
miracles in which the patient undertakes some sort of ascetical practice before the
cure or vows never to commit sins afterwards can be similarly considered in the
context of socio-moral reform.